REVISED - CHECK Murtagh's Journey FOR NEW IMPROVED STORY
by RogueWriter1990
Summary: The revised version of this story is called, "Murtagh's Journey" which is now available. Check it out for some Murtagh awesomeness!
1. Chapter 1

Hey there, this is my first fan fiction that isn't just drabbles. Please be gentle, but reviews are appreciated. In case you didn't notice from the title this is a story where a girl from our world is dumped into the world of Alagasia. A world with elves, dragons, dwarves and an evil king. I know it seems cliché, but I haven't seen this done for this particular world with a female protagonist. Hopefully I won't fall into overused stereotypes. Please let me know what you think.

"They'll never break me." I say that mantra over and over again as Leia, my latest foster mom continues to yell at me and the younger girls. She starts screaming about how hard she works and I tune her screaming out and imagine myself in my most recent book crush, Alagasia. I let the tiny, cramped, kitchen that smells like spam fade away and imagine flying on my very own dragon. We'd fly over the mountains. The wind against my skin as the sun dips low in the horizon.

The sound of shattered glass brings me back. Leia heaves and the remains of a glass lie on the table in front of us and I feel a trickle of blood on my right jaw. The girls whimper and cringe, I reach up and carefully touch my jaw and decide enough's enough. "Why don't you go lie down, we'll take care of dinner." Leia eyes me, but I keep my eyes steady and voice calm. She looks away and sighs, "Why can't you all just go away?" she whimpers more to herself, more then us. Leia has strong mood swings. One moment she's nice and normal, the next she's screaming and breaking things. She stumbles out of the room, probably to crash into her bed. With a sigh my shoulders slump. I'm tired. Tired of this house. Tired of having no control over my life. "Grab the broom, quickly." I order the other two foster girls, who rush to clean up all the glass.

I walk to the sink to wash the blood from my hand. When I turn the knob for water, a loud roar fills my ears and the water turns a bright blue. It nearly glows and I run my hand under it and watch as is flows through my fingers. Suddenly a blinding light fills my vision and I feel myself falling.

I open my eyes to find myself high above the ground and falling. Far beneath me I see the ground, but what catches my attention is the two brightly colored dragons that hover below me. One red and one blue. My throat begins to hurt and I realize I'm screaming.

As I get closer to the dragons I notice two figures sitting on each dragon. I fall between the dragons and the air vibrates with the beat of their wings. The ground rushes up to meet me and I brace myself for certain death when the blue dragon suddenly appears beneath me and the rider reaches out and grabs my arm. He pulls me into him and I force myself to breath, trying to calm my racing heart. He, I realize it's a he, pulls me to his chest, facing away from him and I grab onto a blue spike and press myself against the dragon's neck, clinging for dear life. I hear him shout from behind me, "Who are you?" I try to answer, but my throat closes and I feel nauseous. Not wanting to throw up on the dragon I bend to the side and see the ground with small spots, I realize are people and get vertigo. For the second time a blinding light fills my vision and I fall into the void.


	2. Chapter 1 - A New Development

Sorry for the slight inconsistency in the prologue about Aria's history with the books. I wrote the prologue before I wrote the summary. Sorry if this is a bit short. This is the first time I'm writing a fanfiction with a plot. Let me know if the next one should be longer.

Eragon paces inside Nasuada's tent. Saphira sits outside sleeping, though her consciousness touches his from time to time, giving him a glimpse into her dreams. "Eragon we have to decide." Eragon turns to face his sire, who sits back in her chair, her shoulders slumped. "Well we certainly don't have the means to keep them prisoners, but don't you think it's strange how they all just passed out? The girl is a part of this, I just don't know how." Nasuada rubs her hand over her dark face and massages her forehead. "That much is obvious. But we can't keep camp here much longer, if they don't wake soon we'll have to kill them. I'm sorry Eragon, but we can't risk them attacking from the rear." His thoughts race, knowing Nasuada makes sense. Not that he wanted to admit it. "I need some air." Without another word he quickly leaves the tent. Nasuada watches him with a compassionate gaze.

As the cool evening air hits Eragon's face his mood lifts a bit. He nods to Nasuada's twelve guards and makes his way to where Murtagh and the strange girl were being kept. _Where did she come from? And how is she connected to Murtagh?_ Eragon tries to piece the puzzle together, but can't seem to make sense of it all.

He walks past the tents and crosses the wide open space between the official camp and strides up to where the large dragon Thorn continues to sleep. He's still in the crater he made when he fell from the sky. No one could move him except for maybe Saphira, but they decided to just leave him. A tent sits off to the side of the crater and torches keep the darkness away, illuminating the three dozen guards that were tasked with watching over the three sleeping prisoners. As he approaches Eragon senses Blodhgarm inside the tent.

He acknowledges the guards before parting the cloth covering and sees the blue furred elf by the girl, who lies in a cot. Identical to the one that hold Murtagh several feet away. "Any changes?" Eragon asks the elf, who stands from his crouch and turns to face Eragon. His eyes glow slightly in the dimly lit room, neither of them needing much light to see. "I cannot see into either of their minds. We also haven't been able to get close to Thorn, there are countless wards protecting him." Eragon nods and looks between the two prisoners, one a stranger. The other an old friend, who turned out to be his brother. With a respectful bow Blodhgarm exits the tent, leaving Eragon alone.

Eragon looks to the girl, who's short wavy hair fans out from her small tan face. Her small figure barely fills the cot and Eragon wonders if she's even as old as him. As he examines her face, he realizes she's pretty. In a petite, childlike way. Her brow furrows and a moment later Eragon hears her moan. He walks over to her side and watches as her eyes flutter open. "Water" She croaks out and her arms shift slowly, as if it's hard to move. Eragon quickly grabs the water skin from his belt and offers it to the girl. "Here, drink." She sits up slowly and moans. In the barely lit tent she stares at the water skin and looks up at Eragon, confusion clear in her eyes. Eragon uncaps it and places it to her lips. She shifts back a bit when he gets close and watches him with a suspicious gaze. He offers her the skin and this time she takes it and hesitantly lifts it to her lips and takes a long drink. As she drinks he notices her hands are calloused, from what he couldn't tell.

She passes the skin back to Eragon and squints her eyes, trying to see in the dark tent. Eragon notices this and in a whisper summons a light. The tent is suddenly illuminated by a small orb of light that floats at the middle of the tent. The girl starts a bit at the sudden appearance of light and watches it, captivated by the floating orb. While she watches it Eragon reaches out and tries to touch her mind. He's surprised to find a seamless wall shielding her thoughts. He tries to pierce it and watches her for any reaction to his probing. The girl doesn't react to his attacks and Eragon retreats back to his own thoughts. "Are you going to keep staring at me?" Eragon starts when the girl breaks the silence. She turns to face him and pins him with a hard look. One he's surprised someone who looked so innocent and fragile could make. "Sorry, it's just you look strange." Her eyes flick up to his slightly pointed ears before meeting his gaze, a small smile on her lips. "I could say the same about you." Eragon laughs, and shakes his head. "True." The girl swings her legs over the edge of the cot and Eragon notices her strange blue pants that are torn at the knees. She tugs at the bottom of her shirt that is very form fitting and also exposes part of her belly. "Is this the part where you ask me who I am and where I'm from?" Eragon crosses his arms over his chest, remembering that this girl may be an enemy and fights the blush that rises to his cheeks. Afraid she might have caught him staring. He tries to give her a stern look and clears his throat. "Well you did just appear out of nowhere, and are wearing unusual clothing." The girl sighs and runs her hands through her shoulder length hair, causing it to appear even messier. "I'm guessing I'm no longer in Brooklyn?" "Is that your hometown?" Eragon asks. The girl laughs a hollow laugh and shakes her head. "I guess that answers that question." She stands up and sways a bit, dizzy from standing too fast. "Before I go and spill my guts, am I right in assuming you're Eragon Shadeslayer?" He raise his eyebrows in question. "So you've heard of me? That doesn't explain who you are, or how you appeared, or your connection to Galbatorix."

The girl's head snaps up at the mention of the dark king's name. Her brow furrows and she frowns. "What makes you think I'm associated with him?" Eragon shifts in his stance. "Well you appeared in the middle of a battle between me and Murtagh. Plus I can't reach your mind and when you passed out so did Murtagh and his dragon Thorn." The girl's eyes widen and for the first time her eyes roam the tent and land on Murtagh's sleeping form. Her eyes grow wider and are filled with disbelief. "Is that him? Murtagh?" Eragon sees the uncertainty in her face and realizes that she might not be an agent of Galbatorix. He nods, "Yeah, so are you going to tell me your name?" The girl turns and her eyes roam over Eragon's face, as if memorizing it. "It's Aria Peterson. So am I a prisoner?" When she asks she looks him straight in the eye. "Lady Nasuada will want to speak with you, but for now you can't leave this tent. I will have someone bring you food." Eragon walks to the tent door and turns to spare her another glance and sees her watching Murtagh with a guarded look. His mind is confused and as he leaves the tent he reaches out to Saphira, who stirs. _"Are you alright little one?"_ She asks Eragon through their mind link. _"Yeah, I just don't know what to make of this new development."_ Saphira sends him comforting thoughts, which wrap around him like an embrace as he heads towards Nasuada's tent.


	3. Chapter 3 - A Whole New World

Quick note:

*Italic means it's her thoughts*

*"Italic in qoutations is mental dialogue."*

Ever wished you could travel into your favorite book? Okay, so the Eragon books aren't my favorite, but they were the first real books I loved. Until the disaster that was "Inheritance" Anyway I'm getting off topic. This story is about how I got sucked into a fictional world. Where I met my heroes, made some dangerous enemies, befriended a dragon and got sentenced to death.

Before I get started, I feel I should introduce myself and give a brief history of the story of Eragon. Though honestly if you really want his story before I got shoved into it, just read the books. It's not that hard. Though they are rather long.

My name is Alexandria Peterson. Only my parents call me Alexandria though. Most called me Alex, though I prefer now go by Aria. My mom was Filipino, so that's where I get my tan skin and flat nose from. She used to say it looks like a button, though I'm convinced it looks way too big and flat. Anyway, I had a somewhat rocky childhood. I was the second eldest in a family of nine kids. Add that to the fact that my dad never held a job more then a year, living in a house that's older then my dead grandparents (with horrible plumbing) and four dogs, three cats, two rabbits, and one ferret. That makes for a very noisy and high maintenance family.

Not that I have any of those things anymore. My family died a year ago and I was placed in foster care because my aunts and uncles just "couldn't be bothered" with me. Anyway, back to how I got sucked into a book.

Well I don't actually know *how* I got sucked into a book. Or is it books? Anyway, I got sucked into the third book in the "Inheritance Cycle" (That's what the series are officially called.) I said I was going to give a brief history of the books, so let's get it over with already so we can get on to the good stuff.

Eragon is a farm boy who finds a dragon's egg and after the blue dragon hatches it bonds with him. A lot of shit happens afterwards, including his uncle dying, trying to find his killers and defeating an evil shade (sorcerer that uses demons). And that's just the first book. Eragon's dragon Saphira is the last female of her species and the dragons were slaughtered to near extinction by Galbatorix. Really bad dude. Seriously crazy and crazy powerful. He conquered the humans and created the Empire. (Real original name right?) Eragon spends the first two books training to be a badass so he can defeat Galbatorix. Though I think the last two books really lagged and were total let downs. Especially the last one. Real anticlimactic. They don't even let Eragon get the girl. Or in this case the elven princess Arya. I know what you're thinking. Well honestly I tried going by Aria when I first read "Eragon" She seemed so awesome and badass and I wanted to be just like her. But my friends and family still called me Alex, my previous choice of name. After all who wants to be called Alexandria? It is really fancy sounding and I'm not a fancy type of girl. Anyway, let's get back to the story.

Brisinger is the third book in the series and I got dumped right into the middle of it. Of course whatever mysterious force pulled me in couldn't have left me nice and safe on the ground. No. Whoever put me in must have a wicked sense of humor. Who else would drop a seventeen year old girl thousands of feet in the air, above two fighting dragons? Especially when I have a horrible fear of falling to my death. I'm not afraid of heights, but the thought of falling down with no way to stop, knowing you're about to die. That is one of the few things that truly scares me. Of course that's how I had to come into Alagasia, naturally.

Honestly, I don't remember much other then falling and screaming. Hey, I was living my worst nightmare. I'm usually a lot tougher then this. I remember seeing two dragons, one red the other blue. Then nothing. So I blacked out and woke up on a cot inside a tent. There was barely any light, I guessed it was a tent because of the cloth wall my arm brushed up against. Despite the darkness I saw someone standing nearby and watching me.

Unsure of how to address the mysterious person I decide to address my body's needs first. "Water?" I ask him. It came out a little hoarse and he passes me a sort of bag. After struggling to open it he helps me open it and I drain the bag of water quickly. It was really dark until suddenly a small floating orb of light appeared. It wasn't warm and the light was white, almost florescent. The orb floated to the top of the old fashioned tent and I stared at it, transfixed. Though the light confirmed that I was in fact inside a tent, it also helped me identify who was watching me. That's when I officially met him. Eragon Shadeslayer. Watching him from the corner of my eye I recognized him almost immediately. He looked exactly like I always imagined him, only a bit shorter. Though he was still taller then me. His ears were slightly pointed and he had an elegant jaw line, with eyes that were a dark hazel. His features had been given an elven touchup, which is why he looked a little inhuman. Eragon's light brown hair falls just to the tips of his pointy ears and the tips curl a bit. He wore dark brown pants and a long-sleeved tunic, very medieval chic I'm sure. In short he was cute. I almost couldn't believe he was my age, his face seemed so serious. Not surprising considering how much he's seen and been through. Though he still seemed young, not yet a man.

He keeps staring at me, I feel his eyes on me as I stare at the orb of light. "Are you going to keep staring at me?" I ask. I turn and look straight into his eyes. When I look into them warmth floods through me and not one that's unfamiliar. *Great, I'm developing a crush on a fictional character..* Eragon's mouth twitches in a small smile and for the first time in a long time I want to smile back. "Sorry, it's just you look strange." Glancing at his pointed ears I smirk and reply, "I could say the same about you." He laughs suddenly and shakes his head. "True"

Suddenly feeling self conscious, I sit up and tug on my crumpled T-shirt. Keeping my eyes down I ask him. "Is this the part where you ask me who I am and where I'm from?" I look up at him and see his face start to harden. Like he remembered I'm not to be trusted. "Well you did just appear out of nowhere, and are wearing unusual clothing." It doesn't take a genius to figure out what he and probably the rest of the Varden think. (the Varden are the rebels fighting against Galbatorix) "I'm guessing I'm no longer in Brooklyn?" I ask, possibly with some sarcasm, while running my hand through my hair. *He probably thinks I'm an evil sorcerer sent by Galbatorix.* Eragon's brows furrow in confusion. "Is that your hometown?" *Just my luck.* "I guess that answers that question." I stand up and nearly fall down, but I manage not to fall on my face in front of my arguably favorite book hero. "Before I go and spill my guts, am I right in assuming you're Eragon Shadeslayer?" I ask, wanting to confirm my suspicion. His eyes shift and he raises his eyebrows. "So you've heard of me?" I smirk to myself. *I'm probably just dreaming. This is all just another extra vivid dream. I'll probably end up making out with Eragon after helping him kill Galbatorix.* This wouldn't be my first very realistic dream. Just the first one in a while that isn't a nightmare. *Maybe that's why I'm not freaking out more. It's probably all just a dream.* Avoiding Eragon's eyes I look back at the floating light, trying to remember what it's called. "That doesn't explain who you are, or how you appeared, or your connection to Galbatorix." Eragon points out. My back stiffens when he mentions the king. *Great so they do think I'm the enemy.* "What makes you think I'm associated with him?" I ask and look him straight in the eyes. Eragon shifts, clearly a bit uncomfortable, but not enough to stop his interrogation. "Well you appeared in the middle of a battle between me and Murtagh. Plus I can't reach your mind and when you passed out so did Murtagh and his dragon."

When Eragon mentions passing out my eyes scan the tent and for the first time I notice there's another cot. Surprised I didn't notice sooner, seeing as it was less than ten feet away and lying on it was a man. My heart starts to race when I realize it's Murtagh lying there. He lay on his side, away from me. I quickly recap what I know about Murtagh.

Son of Morzon, Galbatorix's righthand man and Selena, sister of Garrow. Murtagh knows Eragon's his brother, but he, Eragon and Galbatorix think Eragon is Morzon's son. (Eragon is Murtagh's half-brother) Morzon was an ass to Murtagh. Scarring and nearly paralyzing him when he was seven, or was it four? Anyway horrible daddy issues. What I do remember is something he told Eragon when Eragon found out about his connection with Morzon. "My crime was being born" I think that was it.

Without looking at him, I ask Eragon. "Is that him? Murtagh?" Eragon nods, but I keep my eyes on his half-brother's back. "Yeah, so are you going to tell me your name?" Eragon asks and I turn to look at him. Looking at him, my heart calms down and I wonder why. *Pefect, falling for someone that not only isn't real, but is in love with someone else.* Before answering him I try to memorize his face. The sharp edges of his jaw and cheekbones were sharp, but not so much to be elf-like. Not that I would know what elves looked like here. *I wonder if I'll get to meet one. Maybe Arya.* His eyes, though guarded held a warmth that I found addicting. "It's Aria Peterson. So am I a prisoner?" I ask casually, keeping my eyes on him. I watch the famous dragon rider shift and I sense he's slightly uncomfortable with what he's about to say. "Lady Nasuada will want to speak with you, but for now you shouldn't leave this tent. I will have someone bring you some food." He blurts out the last part nervously. I open my mouth to say something, though what I'm not sure. But before I get a word out he rushes from the tent.

With Eragon gone I turn to watch Murtagh, who sleeps like a statue. For the first time I notice his clothes, which are much like Eragon's, but a much higher quality. His pants aren't as tight as his brother's and they are a richer shade of brown. The tunic he wears is much more elaborate. A muted shade of red with decorative embroidery on the shoulders and cuffs.

I sigh and sit back down when I feel something poking me. Reaching into the back pocket of my jeans I pull out my iPhone. *I forgot I had it.* I turn it on and use my thumb to sign in. The screen lights up right as the orb of light disappears, leaving the tent dark accept for the light from my smart phone. I swipe through my apps and decide to try the internet. *It probably won't work.* Much to my surprise my internet connection looks strong and I have four bars. *No way I can call someone from Alagasia, this really must be a dream.* Deciding to the phone later I pull up Safari and I try to Google something and am surprised that the internet actually works. *Sprint's service is better then I thought.* I imagine myself in an ad, standing in front of a map of the US and holding up my phone. "3g service in all states and also great reception in you favorite fictional books." I laugh out loud at my inner monologue. Quickly looking up I check to see if I woke Murtagh up. He doesn't and I spare him one last cautionary glance as I open my iBooks app and find the book I'm looking for.

I open "Brisinger" and try skim over it, to figure out what's happening in Alagasia right now. I may have read the book at least twice, but that was over three years ago. Honestly my memory is spotty at best. I only ever seem to remember things that really bug me. Like the disappointing end to the "Inheritance Cycle" (Seriously, why call it a "cycle" anyways? It's a series, plain and simple.) As I skim I remember how Murtagh took back his father's sword Za'roc, leaving Eragon to use a weird curved blade. I catch up to the part where I fell into the story. Right before I came in the story Eragon was talking to his brother about how changing his true name can free him from Galbatorix. Murtagh says it's nearly hopeless and drops a hint to Eragon about the dragon hearts Galbatorix gave him for strength. Skimming through the digital pages I remember the super soldiers Galbatorix sent along with Murtagh. The soldiers were unable to feel pain and could only be killed by chopping off their heads. Like zombies. After that Eragon's supposed to marry off his cousin, try to break the curse of Elva. A child he cursed to be a shield against other's pain. If she's here she'll be able to know all that worries and hurts me. I don't think any of them will take discovering they're fictional characters well. Plus if they know about me, they might want what I know and not let me go. I try to shake off the bad feeling growing in my gut and concentrate on what else happens in the story. Eragon has to attend the choosing of the new dwarf king at Farthen Dur, the dwarf's capital city. The king turns out to be Orik, Eragon's friend and Saphira then travels and fixes a large jewel Arya broke in the first book. Then Eragon and Saphira head to the elven city of Ellesmera and train some more with Oromis the elf and Glaedr, a golden dragon. They are the last survivors from the old dragon riders, they are the ones who tell Eragon that Brom's his father and that Galbatorix's source of power is the Eldunari, the heart of hearts that he's collected from all the dragon's he's slain. Giving him their power combined and Oromis then trusts Eragon with his dragon's Eldunari. Eragon also forges his new sword which he names Brisinger, meaning fire, and heads back to the Varden, where he helps Arya the elf princess, kill a new shade. After the battle Eragon discovers through Glaedr's heart of hearts that Oromis was slain in battle by Murtagh, along with Glaedr's body. That's the end of book three.

I shut my phone's screen off and I'm surrounded by darkness. Closing my eyes, I rub my forehead and try to figure out how to get home. Sure I have a crappy foster mother and no family, but that doesn't mean I want to get stuck in a world without indoor plumbing. *This is all just a dream. You've had crazy realistic dreams before. Like the one where you have to destroy the One Ring. * I reason with myself. *Yeah, it's just another dream. You just have to wait it out.* My mind races and I try to calm it when Murtagh starts to stir. I switch on the flashlight from my phone, pointing it at the floor I watch him. It starts with his arm twitching and his eyes fluttering. I wait for him to wake up, but he just keeps tossing and turning. Walking over to his side I to debate waking him up, but my decision doesn't matter when he suddenly wakes up and nearly jumps off the cot. His sudden movement startles me and I fall backwards and land very gracefully on the painfully hard ground. Wincing I glance up and rub my sore butt. Murtagh doesn't seem to notice me. My phone fell and the light ended up pointing straight up at the tent ceiling. The light bounces off the dark tent fabric, casting the tent in an eerie whitish light. Like when you hold your flashlight to your face when telling ghost stories.

Murtagh's eyes soon land on me and I feel trapped by his grey eyes. Unlike with Eragon, Murtagh's eyes make me nervous and my stomach clenches as he stares at me. He continues to stare at me and I expect him to help me up. When he continues staring I shake my head and pull myself up. "Thanks for the assist." I say dryly. He continues to watch me without saying anything, then it occurs to me. Is he trying to read my mind? According to the books you're able to tell if someone's in your mind and I have very little training in protecting my thoughts from others. Training to become a black belt in karate and knife throwing I got, but keeping someone out of your mind isn't something I thought necessary to spend my time on. *Wait, did Eragon try to read my mind?* As I try to figure out wither or not Eragon snooped through my thoughts, I'm interrupted when Murtagh starts snapping his fingers in front of my face. I blink from the closeness of his fingers and look to find him looking at me like I'm stupid. "Hey, I was asking where my dragon is." I look back at him, having to raise my head to look him in the eyes. Something I wish I didn't have to do, but I had inherited my mother's short legs. "Well I was waiting for you to help me up." I glare back at him. Murtagh moves his arms and assumes, what he thinks is a threatening pose. "I won't ask again, where is Thorn?" I shrug and turn my back on him, trying to let him know he didn't intimidate me. Though honestly he sort of did. If he's anything like what I read about him, he's very dangerous. "How should I know? I'm wondering when Eragon will get here with my food." Suddenly my arm is grabbed and I'm being twirled around. Murtagh stares down at me with his eyes like steel. "*Where* is Thorn?" Murtagh growls, his breath on my face. I try to pull away, but he just tightens his grip and I wince as I feel bruises start to form. With as much bravado I can manage, I pull myself up to my full height and give him my most intimidating stare. This stare has caused all my siblings, including my older brother to cave and give me whatever I want. I was going to make sure it made this jerk wad at least falter. "Let me go." I say with as much force my tiny five-foot two body can muster. Unfortunately Murtagh doesn't understand the gravity of being on the receiving end of my intimidating glare. He just narrows his eyes and presses tighter on my arm and I decide to put my twelve years of karate and mixed martial arts training to good use. I quickly take advantage of surprise and I elbow him hard in the face. The sound of his nose breaking fills the air and makes me smile. Murtagh stumbles back, grabbing at his nose. He quickly recovers though and moving faster then I thought humanly possible manages to grab me again. This time by the throat, Darth Vader style. Murtagh drags me to him and lifts me in the air with little effort. I gasp as my oxygen supply is cut off. He holds me in the air and watches me struggle. Blood flows from his nose, pouring over his lips and dripping down his chin. The edges of my vision starts to blur and I claw at his hand. Murtagh doesn't seem to notice and I feel blood wet my hand from where I dug into his hand. His eyes glare into mine and I do my best to glare back, though spots fill my vision and I start feeling a heavy weight press against my brain.. Murtagh asks in a low voice. "Where is my dragon?" Though he could have been shouting, I don't know. My senses started to dull and my vision and hearing was like I was underwater in a murky river. The darkness starts to completely enveloped me and I wonder if I can die in a dream.

I was convinced I was dead. Mom was wrong there is no heaven or hell, or hall of judgment. There was just darkness surronding me and I couldn't move or speak. Suddenly a glowing light appears in the distance. "Where am I? Who are you?" I scream at the light. Relieved I can move again I jump up and try to chase the light. Despite running for what feels like forever my legs don't tire. Eventually the light comes closer. It hovers in the air, sort of like the light Eragon made appear in the tent earlier, but I could tell this was different. The orb of light felt alive and intelligent. "Are you the one who brought me to Alagasia?" I ask it, feeling sort of silly for talking to a glowing ball. "You were brought here to help. You will either save thousands or let them burn. The choice is yours." Confusion washes over me. "So this is all real? I'm not dreaming?" I ask the light. The light vibrates, "Once you're role is made clear you will have a chance to return to your world. Only one chance though, if you chose to leave you will forget all that happened here. You will be able to live your life on earth." The light sees to pause for effect and I get ancey. "Or what? This feels like an either or deal." The light continues to vibrate, but seems angry. "Or you can help topple the traitor and egg-breaker that posions the very land with his evil." Yeah but what's in it for me? Why should I help? You're not even real!" I yell at the light, irritated with this dream. The light stops vibrating and I feel it's anger penetrate the very air and I feel like I'm suffocating. Again. "Don't act like this isn't real. It is and you know it!" The light's anger is so immense and powerful I'm terrified. The light seems to calm down and the iintense anger that made it hard to breathe disappears. It's voice is much kinder when it says, "I can't force you to stay, but should you chose to you will have a chance at having a family again. I know the pain of being alone, but if you succeed in facing Galbatorix then you will meet someone that will help heal your wounds." The light starts to fade and I feel myself waking up. The last thing I hear is the light telling me. "Don't leave your companions"

My eyes fly open and I realize I'm lying on the ground inside the tent. Air rushes into my lungs, filling me with a mixture of relief and pain and I can't seem to breathe enough. As my senses start to come into focus I overhear a woman's voice. "-mean you should beat up a little girl." Two pairs of feet stand in front of me and I hear Murtagh answer back. "She's not a little girl. Besides how was I supposed to find out what happened?" His voice was angry and I feared for the person he was talking to. The woman laughs, "Next time maybe don't choke someone you want answers from." It takes a minute of wheezing before I'm ready to stand up. I nearly fall over, but someone steadies me. My eyes flick up and see a pair of eyes staring back at me. The eyes are a color I can't idendify, surronded by a very small a petite women's face. "About time you woke up. Thought that rock-head over there had killed you good." My eyes leave her face and land on Murtagh. His face is hardened and the blood is gone from his face. He doesn't meet my eyes and seems almost, ashamed? "You say less when you're awake then you do when you're asleep." Looking back at the woman I realize she's a few inches shorter then me and her hair is even crazier. Her brown locks are a tangled mess that hang past her shoulders. "Angela?" I ask, wondering if she's the witch/herbalist that is a sort of friend of Eragon. She smiles mischeviously, like a cat caught with it's paw int he cream. "So you do know me. Good, at least they told the truth. If there's one thing I can't stand is when people are dishonest." I look at her, confused by her words. "What do you want?" I ask, but my voice sounds strangled. I reach up and cradle my sore throat in my hand. Angela smiles and lets go of my arms. I sway on my feet, but manage to brace myself. "I'm supposed to help you, so why don't you try being a little nice?" THe hair on the back of my neck as the words the light said comes back to me. Feeling overwhelmed I turn and leave the tent that feels much to small all of a sudden.

As soon as I leave the tent I'm hit with the cool breeze and I allow myself a deep breath. It calms me down a bit, but my mind still races. Looking around, I notice two dozen soldiers standing and sitting around campfire not ten feet away. A bit farther away to my right is what looks like a large pile of rocks. The light from a torch of a patrolling soldier illuminates the rock and I nearly gasp. What in the dark seemed like a massive pile of rocks is actually a dragon. Staring at it intently I started to pick out it's features. It's lies in a crater, hiding some of it from view. Eragon mentioned that Thorn passed out when I did. The red dragon must've fallen all those feet and created the crater it now lies in. Thorn the red dragon, lies nearly parallel to me. Giving me a near perfect profile silhouette of his entire body. He's easily over ten feet tall, though it's probably twice that when he's standing and not lying in a crater. Spikes run down his spine and they're a shade darker then the red of his scales. As my eyes trail upwards towards his head, I force myself to look away. Fear surges through me as I imagine facing Thorn awake, while he breathes fire. Given that I attacked his rider I'm not expecting a warm greeting. More like a very fiery one.

The next thing I notice is the bright lights of a much larger camp in the distance. *The Varden.* I think to myself before remembering why I ran out in the first place. Walking slowly as not to attract the soldiers attention I start to slip away. I"m less then five feet from the tent when i feel a presence press against my mind. *"Who are you?"* A deep musical voice rings in my head. I look around to find the person speaking to me, but the soldiers at the fire aren't paying much attention to me and Murtagh and Angela are still in the tent. Taking a deep breath I try to speak with my mind, while keeping my eyes peeled for the person talking to me. *"Who are you? And what do you want?"* I demand. My eyes land on Thorn's still form and I realize who must be talking to me. Thorn suddenly seems to break into my very mind and it starts digging through my memories. Desperately I try to stop him, though I don't succeed. As he reaches some of my more precious memories I feel them draw me in. I find myself reliving my life.

The few memories I have of my grandfather before he died, plays through. Then comes the births of my younger siblings. Each one precious to me. I relive the first time I managed to hit a moving target with my knife. The first karate tournament I won. Many more memories play through. Most monotonous, just me living my life. School days with my best friend. Summers with the family. Family movie nights. The hours I spent reading and baking with my mom. The last Christmas with my family, I try desperately to hide it from him, but I can't figure out how. It wasn't a fancy affair. We normally try to do something big and extravagant, but we decided to keep it low key, just me and my entire family. Spending the day in our pajamas, watching Pixar movies and eating junk food. I try to hold back the tears, but they come anyway. The presence I assume is Thorn continues to rifle through my memories, in no particular order. It seems interested in the memories of me watching movies and TV shows and I see him learn of my conversation with the light and my fight with Murtagh. I don't bother trying to fight it anymore and just get lost in the overwhelming sadness I've felt since the accident. Everything hurts and it feels like the world shouldn't still be here. What was the point? They were all gone and no amount of praying or escaping into dreams will fix that. I'll never see them again. Never get to tell my mom how much she meant to me. Or tell my dad I'm sorry for constantly teasing him. I'll never bake a batch of cookies for my younger siblings, or hold my baby brother in my lap while watching the stupid cartoons shows he loved so much. I'll never be able to see any of them. Ever again. The presence finally stops and I feel it's sympathy for me. *"I'm sorry Alexandria."* His words echo through my mind. The only place they still exist. Without another word he retreats and I'm tossed back into my body.

I'm not surprised to find myself sitting on the ground. My cheeks are wet from all the tears and I'm barely aware of someone in front of me. A small part of me is aware that someone is holding my shoulders, though it's so tiny I ignore it. I just sit there, tears tumbling down my face, stinging my eyes. As I sit there, as my unberable pain slowly starts to fade into a dull throbbing. I don't know how long I'm in this state of shock, but the world starts coming into focus and I hear a boy's voice call out to me. "Aria? What's wrong?" Lifting my face to the voice I find myself staring into Eragon's warm eyes and realize my head was resting on someone's chest. *His chest.* His eyes watch me and it takes me a minute to decipher the emotion on his face. Concern. It's been so long since I've seen anyone look at me like that. Pity I've seen a thousand times. Pity for the poor little orphan girl. My best friend had it on her face every time I saw her. It was the unbearable amount of pity in her eyes that made me hate her. But no one's been concerned about me since before, when I had a family. A home.

It takes a few minutes to realize that Eragon's cradling me against his chest. The embarrassment comes much quicker and I pull away from him. His scent permeates my nose. I can't place what he smells like, but it helps calm me down. I duck my head, not meeting his eyes. *How could I break down like that and let a total stranger comfort me? Okay, so he wasn't such a stranger to me. I felt like I knew him, but he didn't know me. It must have been so awkward for him!* I mentally kick myself and try to stop the blush I feel crawling up my cheeks. "Sorry for that." I whisper, concentrating on the blades of grass in front of me. They are very interesting and help me not look at Eragon. "It's fine, but what happened? Did Murtagh hurt you?" He whispers and I feel his breath against my right cheek, warming it. I hesitate to tell him, after all he probably is just being polite. Eragon doesn't really want to know my sob story. So I just give him the basics. "I felt someone, something in my mind. It dug through my memories. He made my relive a very, sad memory." After he doesn't respond I risk a glance at him and Eragon doesn't even seem to see me. He looks through me, as if talking to someone else. Which is what I guess he's doing, people have mental conversations all the time. Especially Eragon and Arya. A sharp blade of jealousy slices through me at that thought, but I force it away. I can't be feeling like that. It makes no sense and is completely inappropriate.

While I was debating my right to feel jealous about a fictional character I didn't notice Eragon had stood up. He looks down at me and offers me his hand. *At least he has manners. * I think and offer him a what I hope is a small smile while he pulls me up. The first time I've smiled in a long time. Eragon smiles apologetically, "Well none of the magicians in the Varden spoke to you, but I'm curious who did. I can barely sense your mind. What happened?" His smile fades as his eyes register all the bruises I'm sure covers my neck. "Murtagh didn't take too well to having a roommate." I joke, though my words still come out croaky. His eyes turn as cold as his brother's and for the first time I notice a resemblance. It's not obvious. At first glance they couldn't be more different. Eragon is shorter and thinner. HIs body more like a runner, while Murtagh was more muscular and taller. But their foreheads and noses were very similar. "I could heal you, with magic I mean." Eragon whispers. I nod and Eragon pulls out his hand and I notice he has what looks like a thick layer of bone over his knuckles, but the glowing mark on his palm is what really catches my eye. He places his hand gently on my neck and closes his eyes in concentration. My heart races from his closeness. I concentrate on not thinking abut it and I hear him mutter something under his breath. I don't feel any change, but after a moment he opens his eyes and looks at me with a serious look. "My magic won't work. Why?" I shrug my shoulders. "I don't know." I whisper. Eragon hesitates before asking in a low voice. "Can I trust you?" His question sends me reeling. *What does he mean? I wouldn't hurt him, but is that trust?* I try to smile, but fail. Instead I'm sincere when I tell him. "I hope so." He continues to stare at me with those amazing eyes and I find myself wanting to know him. The real him, not the one I read about in the books.

Whatever moment we had was broken when he steps back and clears his throat. I blink and look around and notice that we have a much larger audience then I thought. Saphira, his blue dragon stands off to the left, leaving me sandwiched between two dragons. *Great,* Though Thorn seems to still be asleep. maybe it wasn't him who infiltrated my mind. Though if it wasn't him I'm afraid of who did. Because whoever did knows all my secrets, including my knowledge about Alagasia. Forcing myself to focus on what's going on around me, it's the group of nearly two dozen people behind Eragon that catches my attention. More then half of them are soldiers. Two are large hulking beasts with grey skin and large horns. I realize they must be urgals. (Large monsters that joined Nasuada to defeat Galbatorix.) The other soldiers are two men and two dwarfs, though it's hard to make out any detail in the flickering torch light. In between the soldiers, a beautiful woman stands tall and proud. Her dark skin and elegant dress cement my theory that she's Nasuada. Leader of the Varden and future queen over most of Alagasia. She also falls in love with Murtagh, I think. The books weren't very clear about that. Standing next to her is an old man, I'm guessing one of her advisors and on her other side is a small child with hair so dark it almost seemed blue. I recognized her by the glowing mark on her forehead and her purple eyes. The little girl was Elva, a baby cursed by Eragon. The baby is less then a year old, but used magic to grow to the body of a child of eight or nine. The one thing I remember clearly about her is she can see the pain inside people's hearts as well as what was about to harm them and is forced to help them, or else she suffers. Though according to my refreshed memories of the books events, Eragon should be removing her from being forced to help people in pain soon. With them is another, but whoever it is stays out of the light.

Eragon follows my eyes and turns to Nasuada, who crosses the twenty foot gap between us. Her guards stay back, but I'm not fooled into thinking they couldn't easily kill me if I lay a hand on their lady. The shadowy person follows and as it gets closer I realize she's an elf. Her raven hair falls far past her waist and held back by a headband and her eyes are are like hard green emeralds. Her features are much more pointed then the elves from, "Lord of the Rings" Eragon relaxes as she approaches and watches her with the look of unrequited puppy love in his eyes. His reaction to her just solidifies my assumption of who she is. *Arya, elven princess, future queen, Eragon's love interest and also future dragon rider.* As she gets closer I get uneasy. I loved Arya in the books. She was the reason I tried to convince everyone to call me Aria, though they still called me Alex. It wasn't until I placed in foster care and went to a new school that I decided to change who I was. Becoming someone else helped me deal with the loss. So I called myself Aria, cut my hair and tried to forget. Though meeting the real Arya, nervousness and guilt flood my system. Though I wasn't sure I was feeling guilty about. Arya stops by Eragon's side and despite my jealousy, I'm forced to admit that Arya is beautiful. She's tall and thin, but not in a weird way. The pretty kind of skinny, she easily put all supermodels to shame, though she was obviously athletic. Even in a simple black tunic and tights she is stunning. Eragon clears his throat and I realize I've been staring at the elven princess. Mortified at being caught staring I give my attention to Nasuada. Nasuada looks at me with a diplomatic gaze and Eragon introduces his liege lady. "I have the pleasure of introducing Lady Nasuada, leader of the Varden." The thought of attempting a curtsy passes through my mind, but given how unsteady I was feeling I decide to pass. If I tried I'd probably tripping and embarrassing myself even further. "Eragon tells me your name is Aria Peterson. I apologize for having to keep you here, but until I know you pose no threat these measures are necessary." I nod to Nasuada to show respect, though she's not two years older then me. "I understand, my lady. But I can promise I don't want to hurt you or you're army. All I want is to go home. I'm hoping you can help me there, because I don't belong here." Nasuada looks me up and down, probably taking note of my sneakers, jeans and t-shirt. She meets my eye before speaking again. "What do you mean, you don't belong here?" It was posed like a question, but Nasuada spoke as an order. I shift, trying to figure out how to tell her I'm from another world without mentioning that her world is purely fiction. "Well you see I'm from another world. I don't know how I got trapped here, but I'd love if you could help send me back." The words all come out in a blurred rush. Did I mention I happen to speak really fast when nervous? It's a bad habit I've been trying to control. Though considering I used to speak really fast all the time, I think I'm making good progress. Eragon looks at me with disbelief, Arya's emotions are hidden, but I try to focus on Nasuada. The leader of the Varden sighs. "Well that complicates things. Why should I believe what you say? After all you're mind is impregnable, so we cannot even prove that what you say is true." Though Nasuada makes very good points I scramble to find a way to prove myself. "Why would I lie?" Nasuada's eyes flick over to Eragon, before she looks back at me. "We have enemies. You could easily be a spy or assassin." I sigh and run my hand through my hair. "I don't know how to prove myself. What can a girl do prove she's from another world?" Nasuada presses her lips together. "Well if you really are from another world, how did you know Eragon?" My throat closes up as I realize what a mistake I made. "You asked if he was Eragon Shadeslayer when you woke. If you are from another world, how do you know him?" Nasuada presses and Eragon also seems interested in my answer. "I heard that name when I was pulled from my world." I lie. Looking Nasuada in the eyes I force myself to remain composed. At least from the outside. "One minute I'm washing my hands when darkness surrounds me. A glowing orb appears in front of me. It said a lot of things, I don't remember much, but the name 'Eragon Shadeslayer' was repeated again and again. The voice told me to find him." I look over to Eragon and continue weaving a web that may help me get back home. "It said he would help me." I sprinkle in some truth to help. "So the first person I saw, I asked if he was the one the voice told me about." Looking back at Nasuada, I will her to believe me. "I don't wish you any harm. All I want is to go home."

Nasuada watches me with her intimidating stare and I fear the worst. Maybe she'll kill me, rather then risk me begin a super assassin that would slit their throats in the blink of an eye. "Well Aria, I can't make any guarantees but I will have people look into your predicament. Now if you'll excuse me, I have other issues to deal with." She starts to walk away and I quickly ask, "My lady, I was wondering if it's possible for me to be moved somewhere else. I won't argue against the guards or whatever, but I don't feel comfortable near Murtagh." Nasuada pauses and considers this for a moment before nodding. "That is acceptable. Two guards will escort you to a new tent." Nasuada gestures to one of the soldiers standing by the campfire and he jogs over to her. She whispers him something and the soldier nods. Before moving on Nasuada turns and offers me a polite smile. I respectively bow my head to her. Eragon offers me a nod before joining Nasuada and the rest of her entourage, who head over to Murtagh, who must've been watching this whole time. Angela is no where to be seen.

The soldier who Nasuada talked to walks over to me. He holds a spear and I notice he has a crooked nose and full lips, he doesn't seem much older then me. Maybe twenty something, the stubble on his chin makes him look older. He gives me an easy smile. "I'm supposed to take you to your new tent." The man informs me and his voice is surprisingly deep. I offer a weak smile and nod. Though glad to get away from the jerk who attacked me, I find myself anxious about leaving. My gut twists and I have a feeling I'm making a mistake leaving. The lighs told me not to leave my companions, he must've meant Thorn and Murtagh, but there was no way I was staying near them. Murtagh already nearly killed meand I'm sure his dragon would've loved a crack at me. Even if he was the one who infiltrated my mind. The soldier leads me past the fire pit where he recruits another soldier. This soldier is much older, with a long grey beard that made him look like Gandalf in a suit of armor. Together they lead me past Thorn and away from the light of the torches, towards the much larger camp. Gandalf takes the lead and the cute soldier walks next to me. Awkward silence fills the air and I wonder how to fill it. Once we're further away from the smaller camp Cute Soldier decides to break it. "Do you want some food? We could grab something by the kitchens before heading to your tent." He offers me a cheery smile. Realizing he was trying to be friendly I nod. Making friends can't hurt. "Sure, that be great. Thanks." His smile grows and he nods back at me. "What's your-" My attempt to make a friend is interrupted by a splitting pain that suddenly hits me in the head. It feels like someone is stabbing repeatedly at my brain with a hot blade. With every pang, I stumble and my throat is sore as I realize I'm screaming. Soon the pain takes over and I can't focus on anything else, when a voice penetrates my thoughts. "You thought you could run from me? There is no where you can hide from me and you're suffering will be beyond anything you're pitiful imaginations can conjure." The voice fills me with despair and dread and I suddenly get a flash of a man on a throne and the coldness in his eyes chill me to the bone. The pain intensifies and I start to pull at my hair, in an attempt to get the man out. Over my own screeches I feel the ground shake. I'm barely aware of my surroundings, but I have a faint feeling of being carried. I over hear wannabe Gandalf gruffly order around Cute Soldier. "We need to take her to Lady Nasuada." Someone continues to carry me, but then just as suddenly as the pain came it disappeared. I sigh from the release and rest my head against the metal plated chest of whoever was carrying me. As my senses come back into focus I realize we're back at the small camp and that we've stopped moving. Looking up I recognize that Cute Soldier is the one carrying me. I open my mouth to speak, but rather then words all that comes out is a rasp. My throat stings, like it's been rubbed raw with sandpaper. Gandalf comes within eyesight and offers me a water sack much like the one Eragon offered. I try to lift my hand, but it barely moves. Gandalf presses the water sack to my mouth and helps me drink. If I wasn't so exhausted I would be irritated with feeling so helpless.

I look around from Cute Soldier's arms and see that Thorn is awake. He stands outside of the crater, near where the tent used to be and the tent looks like it was sat on, which it might have been. Eragon is helping Murtagh to his feet. Murtagh brushes his brother off as soon as he's on his feet. Arya and Nasuada seem confused and exchange silent looks. Angela is helping Elva to her feet. The witch-child turns and stares at me. Her purple eyes try to bore a hole through me and I look away from her as Eragon rushes over. His eyes scan my body, probably looking for more wounds. "What happened?" Cute Soldier carefully puts me down. Dizziness takes over and I nearly fall on my face. It takes me a moment to realize that Eragon caught me and is holding my arms. "I'm fine." I tell him, though the throbbing in my head attests that I'm anything but. "You don't look fine." I push away from him, hating to be constantly helped. "I'm fine." I grind out, my teeth clenched as I try to walk towards Thorn. Though it's more of an unsteady limp. I don't know why, but I feel like I need to talk to him and something inside me tells me he could help. When I reach the group of characters, I walk past them and go straight to Thorn. Before I can reach the dragon's head Murtagh blocks me. He glares down at me, but his hair is mussed and I see pain reflected in his eyes. "Get out of my way." I warn him, though I probably couldn't hit him with assistance. My entire body felt like a moving bag of liquid lead. "What do you think you're doing?" Murtagh asks me, his face dark and untrusting. That's when I snapped. Blame it on my short temper, but how much can a girl take before her tolerance flies straight out the window? So I yell at him. "I'm going to find out what the heck just hacked my brain and made me feel like I was dying." I push past Murtagh, purposefully bumping into him.

I'm stopped again when someone grabs my shoulder. Turning my head, I realize it's Murtagh again. Murtagh's disdainful face is gone and is replaced by confusion. "Did you hear him?" He whispers, his eyes frantic. I nod, and brush his hand off. "The scary looking guy on a throne? Yeah I saw him." He looks up at the red dragon and the two exchange a silent conversation. I sigh, the amount of people who talk without using their mouths is ridiculous. Seriously how is anyone supposed to eavesdrop around here? Suddenly the presence that invaded my thoughts presses against my mind. Not the one that sent me in a whirl of pain, the one that invaded my memories. "*I think it would be the best for everyone to know that what just happened was Galbatorix reaching into our minds and trying to drag us back to him."* That's when I realized the voice I was hearing was indeed Thorn's and he wasn't just talking to me. As if sensing my thoughts, the red dragon lowers it's head and nods at me. "Yeah, well why was he in my head?" I ask. "*I don't know, but it seems the mind of Alexandria is connected to mine and Murtagh's."* Turning around I see Eragon, Nasuada and Arya exchanging looks. Thorn's voice comes again, "I* don't know why, but as soon as Alexandria left the wall that blocked Galbatorix from us, fell. It's possible that the two are very much connected. Alexandria is, I believe the reason why Murtagh and I are currently free from him for the first time in my life."* My head rushes to process what the dragon is saying. "Wait, so you're saying that I'm some sort of magical barrier that protects you and hot-head over here from the evil king?" I ask Thorn. The dragon lowers it's head and looks at me with one red eye. *"Do you have another explanation?"* I'm surprise to hear him use sarcasm. Eragon starts to speak, and I turn my head to look at him. "So this girl, who appeared out thin air is somehow keeping Galbatorix from taking control of you?" Though his question is directed at Murtagh, Arya steps in. "It does seem the case. It also appears that the girl must be in close proximity to the two." I see where the elven princess is going and I try to interject my thoughts on the matter, but Nasuada speaks first. "So Murtagh and Thorn are willing to join the Varden, but if the girl leaves they are once again slaves to Galbatorix." The young leader sighs and touches her hand to her forehead. "For now they will have to stay together. Tomorrow we will meet again and discuss this further." Having said her piece Nasuada turns to leave and Arya follows along with the guards. Eragon whispers something to Murtagh before walking towards me. His face is serious and somewhat troubled. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow. Try not to get hurt while I'm gone." He jokes his lips pulled into an adorable smirk, wrenching a smile from me. "I'll try, if you can manage some food this time. I'm still waiting." That has him smile and I congratulate myself. "I will make sure it comes. Oh and a new tent." I look over to the crushed tent and wince at how it's totally destroyed. "Do I want to know what happened?" "No, you don't." Eragon smirks and I smile back at him. Then he starts looking at me the way he did earlier. Like he was looking for something. I don't know if he found it though before he leaves.

As Eragon leaves I watch Murtagh, who stands at Thorn's front paws. He looks at me with his cold eyes. Unable to stand his gaze I turn away. Pulling my iPhone out of my pocket, I check for any cracks. I look around for a place to sit while waiting for the food and push in my earphones and start playing some music. I decide to sit where I'm standing, which is close to Thorna nd Murtagh, but I wasn't risking another visit from Galbatorix. Hunter Hayes starts to sing and I start to doze off, my head falls forward. Luckily a woman soon arrives with two bowls and a loaf of bread. The bowls were made of wood and seemed to hold a kind of meat soup, with wooden spoons to match. The woman hands me both bowls and placed the bread across them. Sniffing the soup, I ask "Hey, do you have something without meat?" The woman glares at me before gathering up her full skirt and marching away. Realizing the other bowl is probably for Murtagh I stand up and head over to Thorn's front.

Murtagh lies on Thorn's front paw. Him and his enormous dragon appear to be sleeping and given how he acted last time he woke up I'm hesitant to relive that experience. Deciding to swallow the bullet, I slowly approach the two. Before I open my mouth to get his attention, Murtagh opens his eyes and looks at me. "What's that?" he asks, in an accusing tone. Walking closer, I huff and glare down at him. Lifting up the two bowls I say. "Well this is food. I don't know if you've heard of it, but it's supposed to help when you're hungry." Murtagh's mouth twitches and I sigh and shove a bowl at him. He hesitates before taking it. "Thank you." I'm startled by his response and stare at him. Murtagh ignores me and starts to dig into his food. Tucking the loaf of bread under my arm, I move my soup around I suddenly don't feel hungry. The realization that though I'm surrounded, I'm still alone hits me. Not that it's different from how my life was this morning. *"Sit with me."* Thorn's voice rings in my head. I look over to him and he stares at me and I notice a shared sadness in his eyes. I try to speak to Thorn in my mind, hoping Murtagh can't hear. *"Don't worry he can't."* Thorn reads my thoughts and encourages me. *"Well I don't think Murtagh would welcome me and I don't go where I'm not wanted."* I say through our mental link, not wanting Murtagh to hear. Thorn makes a weird coughing sound and it takes me a minute before I realize he's laughing. *"Stop it."* I order the large laughing red lizard. Murtagh notices his dragon's outburst and peers up at him. *"What's so funny?"* I demand of him, now fully glaring at the stupid dragon who finally stops his laughing. *"Come on Alexandria. He doesn't bite."* I huff at him and say out loud for everyone to hear. "Yeah, he just strangled me for no reason." Murtagh looks at me when he hears me, though I can't tell what he's thinking. Suddenly he looks up at Thorn. After a moment, he sighs and scoots over. He pats the spot he previously sat on and I huff at his attitude. I'm about to snub him when Thorn presses into my mind again. *"I'm sorry about Murtagh, but please sit with me. You're the first person I've spoken to other then Murtagh and Galbatorix."* Having been in my mind he knows just how to push me. Guilt is a powerful motivator for me and I sigh loudly. Practically stomping over to the stupid dragon's paw, I sit on two of his claws and sigh again for effect. "There you happy?" I ask Thorn, in a tone that some might call sarcasm. The stupid dragon then has the nerve to hum happily. I tear into the loaf of bread and dunk it into the soup. Despite being a vegan I realize that if I want to stay alive in this medieval fantasy world I'll have to eat meat. Knowing that whatever animal that became my meal wasn't a part of modern day slaughterhouses makes it a little easier to eat. Not by much though. As I'm in dunking bread into the dead animal stew Murtagh decides to break the silence. "I could heal your throat." He offers. I scoff, "Eragon couldn't heal me. What makes you think you could?" I say sharply. Murtagh huffs and turns away. "Fine don't let me help you." I roll my eyes and continue tearing bits of bread and dropping them into the soup. I feel Thorn press against my mind, *"Why won't you let him help you? He wants to heal you."* I mentally scoff and answer. *"He should. He's the one who hurt me."* *"Yes, but he was only concerned about me."* I don't answer him and Thorn realizes I don't want to talk about it. *"So what is a democracy?"*

Thorn and I spend the rest of the meal talking. He drills me with questions about my world and is fascinated by the idea of movies. I find myself liking his curiosity and I love telling him all about twentieth-century technology. *"So if you have a smart phone can we watch a movie now?"* He nearly begs and I find it hilarious that a massive dragon is begging to see my iPhone. *"Fine, but I'll have to move closer to your head."* With a push I slide off Thorn's foot and try to shake the feeling back into my legs. Thorn swings his giant head around and I walk over to his cheek, (do dragons have cheeks?) and his eye meets up with my chest. He watches me and I'm entranced by the different shades of red and gold flecks in the eye that as big as my head. His eyes is roughly the size of a serving platter and his head bigger then my desk. I start to wonder how easily I could fit inside his mouth when Thorn grumbles, *"Alexandria."* He pulls me out of my daze, but he's more annoyed from having to wait, then he is mad. I laugh at the dragon as I sit down next to him and pull out my iPhone. Holding it up to his eye I switch it on and Thorn blinks from the sudden brightness. I stifle a laugh and try to face the phone to him while I flick through my apps. "Let's see if I still have internet." I say out loud. "So what do you wanna watch?" I ask and I feel Thorn's excitement. He starts going on about the different movie titles he picked from my mind, "What about the one with the fishes? Oh or the one with the singing basketball players? Or maybe we could check out the vampire show you love so much." I pat him on the cheek to get his atention. "Okay, first of all it's called "The Vampire Diaries" and it is *the*vampire show. THe only one worth watching. Second you wouldn't even understand those movies or shows." Thorn grumbles, "Well maybe I would understand them if you let me watch them." We got into a winded arguement, but after a several minutes of indecisiveness I tell him we'll watch "Fellowship of the Ring" "Lord of the Rings" is the best trilogy of all time, plus I figured the medieval fantasy setting would be much more understandable then a romantic comedy that takes place in New York City. He grumbles, but is to intrigued to argue long. I lean against his cheek, wrapping my right arm around the horn on his head. I hold the phone out for him as Galadriel's narration begins.

I don't remember falling asleep, but I wake up to find myself tucked into a cot and inside a tent. Stretching, I stand up and without much thought reach out with my mind to find Thorn. I sense him right away and from what I gathered he was still sleeping. *"Thorn, what happened?"* The dragon doesn't answer me, I sense he's still fast asleep. So I get up and leave the tent, noticing that it's smaller then the one I previously woke up in.

The light momentarily blinds me when I step out. The faint smell of smoke fills the air and I notice the fire pit is now empty. Wisps of smoke trail lazily up before disappearing into the late morning sky. Soldiers patrol the perimeter and Thorn sleeps less then twenty feet away, next to another tent that I guess is Murtagh's. The sun is already nearly overhead and I try to ignore the need to pee. I am not looking forward to peeing in the small pot that was left back in the tent. I walk towards Thorn and try to wake him up by yelling at him in my mind. Unfortunately my efforts are useless. Feeling lonely and wanting to talk to someone I did something that probably wasn't the best thing to do. I looked for Murtagh.

I enter his tent and find it empty. The only thing there are a chamber pot and cot. Identical to my own tent. Not finding him there I leave. I consider asking the soldiers where Murtagh is, but the idea of talking to a bunch of medieval soldiers that are currently eyeing me like a piece of bacon didn't seem to be the best course of action. Instead I walk over to Thorn, ready to just sit next to him until he wakes up. Suddenly Murtagh comes from around Thorn and spots me. There's an awkward silence that rivals all awkward silences. Deciding to try and make peace with him, since we'll probably be seeing each other alot and because Thorn made me promise to try. So I try. "Hey, Murtagh." I say and do an awkward wave, while walking towards him. Murtagh continues staring at me and levels of uncomfortableness that I have never felt, starts to hit. "So listen, sorry for being sort of a bitch last night. I think we got off on the wrong foot." Murtagh crosses his arms and looks down at me. "Well you did punch me in the face." Rage builds up inside of me and my temper flies right out the window. "Cause you were manhandling me!" I scream at him. "You should have told me where Thorn was." Murtagh snaps at me, his eyes hard and unforgiving. "I didn't know! You megalomaniac sadist!" He huffs and looks at me with disgust. "Please, like I'd believe you." "If you weren't going to believe me why did you ask? You nearly killed me and I'm trying to offer an olive branch!" "You sound crazy." "Maybe I am! After all I'm trying to apologize to the man who choked me! I don't know what Thorn ever saw in you!" Looking Murtagh in the eyes I see what my words do to him and even if he has been a dick, I feel bad for what I said. I see the pain hidden behind his metal walls before he hides it. I'm suddenly pressed against Thorn. Murtagh holds me by the shoulders and his chest heaves with anger. My instincts take over and I kick him between the legs and duck under his arm. As I run away a thrumming fills the air. Looking up I have to buffer my eyes as Saphira lands twenty feet away.

Saphira's blue scales sparkle as if they were freshly polished. Eragon dismounts her and walks over to me. His brown hair is slightly damp, making it slightly longer. He looks past me where Murtagh is hunched over. "What happened to Murtagh?." Sighing I slip my phone in my pocket. "He's thinking about what he did.." I smile and Eragon sighs, shaking his head. "I should probably apologize for what he did. I never thought he could do something like that. I would heal your neck if I could. I don't know why my magic doesn't work on you." I shrug, "How should I know? Where I come from there is no magic." Eragon nods. "Do you have any food?" Eragon blinks and shakes his head as if to clear his thoughts. "It's time for you to for your audience with Lady Nasuada." He says, as if he didn't hear my question. Behind him at Saphira stretches. Her lean front legs stretch out in front of her while her back ones bunch together. Overall resembling a giant, scaly, blue cat. "Fine, let's get this over with. I'd like to go home where the only magic is at Disney World." Eragon looks at me confused. My reference completely flying over his head. He starts frowning and I turn to see his anger directed at his half-brother. Eragon angrily stalks over to Murtagh and I chase after him to see what the fuss is about. Unfortunately my shorter legs have trouble catching up to Eragon, especially when he's speed walking. I see him say something to Murtagh and then punch him right in the face. Murtagh falls over and I run the rest of the way. "You feel better now? Wanna look good in front of Alex?" Murtagh spits out, as he wipes his face and stands up. His use of my nickname makes me realize Thorn must've told him all about me. Eragon gets close to Murtagh and stares him hard in the face. "That was for Hrothgar. But don't you dare touch her again. If she really is the only thing keeping you from Galbatorix's grasp, you should be thanking her." Murtagh huffs and rolls his shoulders. "I've tried." I laugh and the two brothers turn to look at me. "Yeah right, thank me? You've attacked me twice." Eragon looks back at Murtagh and narrows his eyes. Murtagh ignores him and just glares at me. "I tried last night and you just snapped at me." I roll my eyes, *How can someone be so dense?*

About an hour later, after Eragon reminds us that Nasuada is wating, I stand inside a tent that's much larger then the one I slept in. Inside the tent are Eragon, Nasuada, Arya, and several well dressed older people. Murtagh stands next to me as we face the intimidating crowd of faces. Thorn was still asleep and after a quick test that Murtagh suggested, we discovered that as long as I'm near either him or Thorn we're all safe from Galbatorix. Nasuada sits in a wooden chair that reminds me of a throne. Her hair is still in the same style last night, though her dress is a different color. White bandages cover her forearms and I remember something about her cutting herself to gain the respect of her people. *People here are intense*. Eragon stands at Nasuada's right and next to him is Arya. Despite wearing the same black pants and tunic, she still manages to look gorgeous. My jealously for her is only heightened when I think of how disgusting I must look. Eragon said he didn't have a brush I could borrow and my clothes are rumpled and I know I have bad morning breath. Not to mention that the deodorant I put on yesterday morning is starting to lose it's potency. I resist the urge to glare at Arya. My inner thoughts of Arya is interrupted when the small boy who announced us earlier, walks in and proudly states. "King Orrin of Surda, milady." He quickly dashes back out into the sun. King Orrin then makes his entrance. I turn to look at him as he approaches Nasuada. He walks past Murtagh and I without glancing at us. His hair is cut so close to his head I can't make out the color. An actual crown sits on his head and he walks in as if he owned the place. Being a king I guess he sort of did. He takes his place at Nasuada's left and then he decides to honor us by looking at us. He gives me a thorough look that has me wishing I was wearing something more concealing. Orrin then switches his gaze to Murtagh and glares at him with open contempt. I glance to the side to see how Murtagh handles the king's gaze. His face is so still it seems like it was made from stone. Murtagh stares ahead and following his gaze I see him staring at Nasuada. If I remember right he ends up falling in love with her. Which ultimately frees him from Galbatorix. Though now it seems that now I keep him free from Galbatorix. So long as he stays near me that is. Not that, that made any sense. *Maybe this is the role the light said I'm meant to play Great so I'm supposed to just stay next to Muratgh so he can help the Vardn's effort until he falls in love with Nasuada. Perfect.* Nasuada starts talking, which draws me out of my thoughts.

"So we are here today to discuss the sudden appearance of Aria Peterson. Who as you've all been told, appeared suddenly out of the sky yesterday. She claims to be from another world, yet she contains magical qualities." Nasuada tells her groupies. She then turns to me. "So tell us Aria Peterson, if you truly are from another world, how is it that you possess magic?" All eyes in the room look to me and my heart races from all the attention. I try to calm down. "I honestly don't know. The orb of light said I had a role to play that would save thousands." Nasuada then asks again. "What orb of light?" I go to explain what the orb said, leaving out that it appeared when Murtagh killed me, and what he said about my choice. Orrin turns to Nasuada and address her directly. "This girl is dangerous. She claims to come from another world but how do we know she's not a spy? From what you told me, her mind is impenetrable. Even for the elves, who are the strongest spell casters. Only a strong magician could blockher mind and I don't think I have to say who probably is blocking her" Nasuada nods, as if considering the king's point. Orrin continues. "Furthermore I'm confused why we didn't just kill this bastard and his dragon while they slept." Murtagh doesn't even flinch when the king mentioned his death. "This is obviously a ruse by Galbatorix." Orrin continues. Several of the older people start to argue amongst themselves and soon the whole tent is bickering.

Nasuada calls order and everyone quiets down. "I have told you, Murtagh and his dragon were prisoners of Galbatorix. They do not serve him willingly and if there is a chance they could aid us in the fight against him, it would be folly not to take it. On that note, it was discovered last night that Aria somehow blocks Galbatorix's hold on Murtagh and Thorn. I don't know why, but I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Since Murtagh last night agreed to help take down Galbatorix, we should use them and the girl. With another rider, our chances of winning are much more likely. Also, once people hear that Murtagh and Thorn managed to free themselves from the mad king, morale will be strengthened."

Nasuada's groupies don't seem to agree with her and start protesting. One old man in particular edges closer to Nasuada. His face is covered with wrinkles and his face stern. "My lady, I hate to disagree with you but the risks are too high. What were to happen if whatever magic this girl has suddenly disappears, just as she suddenly appeared? Plus how are we to know where her true loyalties lie if we cannot even examine her mind?" Nasuada seems to actually listen to this old man, but Arya is the next to speak. "I would have to agree. The girl has not given any word about her loyalty and she appears to know more then she's willing to admit." Tired of them all talking about my death I open my mouth to speak. Murtagh beats me to it though. "You would kill an innocent girl because she might be dangerous? What proof do you have of any treachery from her? I understand your wanting to kill me, butwhyt kill her? Just because you don't understand her. I thought you wanted to be nothing like Galbatorix and as someone who was forced to spend hours with him, killing her would make you worse then him" I stare at Murtagh's defense of me, my mouth slightly open from the shock. "Killing me is probably the safest thing for you to do, but it's possibly the worst. How do you think people will react when you had a chance to safe the life of someone enslaved to Galbatorix and instead killed him? How are you different from him if you kill people just because they may hurt you?" Murtagh's words seem to reach them and everyone pauses, probably going over wither or not to have me killed.

Eragon is the next to speak. "Why not just ask the girl if she wants to join us? If we have her swear in the ancient language, then we'll know we can trust her." I nod eagerly, liking Eragon's plan much more then King Orrin's. "Yeah, I'll swear I don't mean any of you harm. But I don't know any ancient language." Arya walks forward and stops right in front of me. She stares down at me, her eyes observing and critical. I resist the urge to straighten my back and instead just try to stare back at her, though her eyes did scare me. They're so green and cold, that it made me nervous. Finally she looks away and looks at Eragon. The two seem to share a silent conversation and my stomach twists in anticipation at their verdict. Arya turns to me, but before she speaks, Orrin interrupts again. "Even if the girl does swear, why should we trust the son of Morzon?" I open my mouth to defend Murtagh, but he apparently has it covered. "If you don't harm the girl and she agrees to join the Varden I will eveal Galbatorix's source of power." Nasuada and even Arya seem stunned by this. The elven princess turns and stands in front of Murtagh. She glares at him intensely. "You know how Galbatorix is gathering power?" To his credit Muratgh doesn't falter under Arya's gaze. "Yes, but I will only tell you if I have your word that the girl will not be harmed." Nasuada leans back in her chair and taps her arm rest. My heart is in my throat waiting for their decision.

Sorry for the wait, but since it's been awhile I made this chapter twice as long as I first intended. I hope you like Alex/Aria. I will clear up any cnfusion about the other characters calling her Aria next time. I hope the characters weren't too OOC, I tried my best so be gentle.

Also I do plan on continuing this faniction. Alex's character and her story as well as the possibilities so please join me on her adventure.


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